21ST GENERATION

1970176. Nicholas DRAKE ^{(322) (312)} was born about 1275 in Great Waltham, England. He died in 1331.

Nicholas Drake, the son of Nicholas and Agnes Drake, was probably born at Great Waltham, Essex, England. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but it was probably about 1275-90 because he was a married man at the time of his father's death in 1302. At the Court held on June 14, 1302, he gave 4s. for his entry fine "upon one cotland which his father held." At the same Court, his wife (who is not named) was fined the customary 6d. for brewing.

Nicholas must have been a good farmer and have prospered, for three years after the Court entry above, we find him paying another 2s. for entry on three rods of land lying at "Eldo land by Graunger's land" and agreeing to pay a half-penny annually at Michaelmas for increment. Then, at the Court held on October 29, 1317, he is named as one of the sureties for William atte Bregge, who "received the lord's great mill and the farm from Michaelmas last past for two years ensuing...paying to the lord annually during the said two yeras 32 quarters of corn and 12 quarters of (illegible)." Since a mill was the most valuable building, other than a house or parish church, the need to find sureties for its safety, as well as the income, is obvious, and the sureties would be drawn from among the more substantial tenants. It would appear that Nicholas was the founder of the family's fortunes in the ways open to the manorial tenant of his day. In a survey or Extent of the Manor, the entry for Nicholas Drake is found among those for the Molmen, that is, customary tenants who had commuted all their labor services for payments in money. It reads: "Nicholas Drake holds 1-1/2 acres of land of granger land, 2 acres of Blachche land and 7 acres of Symon Geffray's land. And renders by the year 2s. 6d., that is to say equally at the four terms."

The only mention of the name Drake in the Survey (also among the entries for the Molmen) is that of Juliana Drake, who held a small piece of land for which a halfpenny was paid each Michaelmas. She is believed to be the wife of Nicholas.

(Two children: Robert and William)

1970177. Juliana ⁽³²²⁾. Children were:

985088 i. Robert DRAKE.